Tuesday, 10 November 2009

Israel and the US have overplayed their hand with the Palestinian leadership, leaving themselves in the position of having no partner to deal with in the non-existent peace process, assuming Abbas goes through with his threat to resign.

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The collapse of the Palestinian Authority, Israel’s negotiating partner, was raised as a possibility on Monday, as several aides to its president, Mahmoud Abbas, said that he intended to resign and forecast that others would follow.

If the Palestinian leader steps down, does this mean the peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians are over?

“I think he is realizing that he came all this way with the peace process in order to create a Palestinian state, but he sees no state coming,” Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, said in an interview. “So he really doesn’t think there is a need to be president or to have an Authority. This is not about who is going to replace him. This is about our leaving our posts. You think anybody will stay after he leaves?”